Half of all heart attacks may be silent

Half of all heart attacks may be silent

Thousands of people may be succumbing to "silent" heart attacks without any knowledge, new study findings suggest.

Half of all heart attacks may be silent

Thousands of people may be succumbing to “silent” heart attacks without any knowledge, new study findings suggest.

The study found that a many as half of all heart attacks may come without the typical crushing chest pain, shortness of breath and cold sweats.

Of the almost 9500 people in the study, 45 per cent were found to have had silent attacks were silent. And, the study authors found, silent heart attacks could triple the odds of dying from heart disease.

Senior study author Dr Elsayed Soliman said the outcomes of a silent attack were just as bad as those of a regular heart attack – reducing or stop blood flow to the heart muscle – and because people weren’t aware they were having a heart attack they often didn’t get the medical care they needed.

Most silent heart attacks are discovered accidentally, with damage showing up on an electrocardiogram (EKG) during a regular exam or before surgery, he said.